potskipottie

as incredulous as it may sound, holding a BSN degree in my country doesn't mean much anymore since no one is willing to train new nurses. i know you're fully aware of the situation that new grads are in right now. that is why some (including me) are looking into opportunities that may give us the chance to practice and be trained abroad. i did not realize that the course they are offering is somewhat a lesser degree compared to having a BSN. they made it sound like it was similar to a bridging program for foreign grads wishing to work in other countries. i'm just grateful that there are people and forums like these who are willing to help and answer queries. you saved a little soul from being scammed. :)

thanks for the sound advice, suzanne4. yes, i do have a BSN. i was just looking for job opportunities since no one seems to be interested to train new nurses here in the PI. thanks again for the warning. :)

hi! i read a flyer today regarding studying and working at the same time in the UK. they have a Student Work Placement Scheme (SWOPS) that will enable a foreign grad nurse to study and earn a degree: BSc (Hons) in Health and Social Care and practice as well. can anybody shed light to this please? i'm interested. :) here's their website: http://www.internationalstudentadvisors.com thank you!

thank you nowhere. i checked my online account and i did not see a tracking number next to Issued Certificate. the only thing written was the mailed date. i will try to email CGFNS again regarding this, maybe it was just overlooked. thanks again.

my status says that the certificate has already been mailed last January 31, 2008 but i haven't received the certificate yet. i have emailed CGFNS twice but to no avail. for Philippine nurses, does it really take this long for the certificate to come? i asked for a tracking number and the name of the courier (if they do give out those information) so i'd be able to track the certificate.

that's great to hear! some of us newbies might have panicked when you said they look for a license. whew! thanks for clearing that up! thank you too for giving us a tip on how to answer queries for interviews.

correct me if i'm wrong but a license from CA can only be acquired if i'm already in the States, right? i don't think they give SSNs to RNs who are still here in PI. so once we have found an employer, the NCLEX, IELTS, and other immigration requirements should be enough to start the petition process. is this correct?

yes. that is what employers look for when you're applying.

i plan to go through direct hire too but i haven't passed my NCLEX yet. would it be okay to look for an employer once i have passed my NCLEX or do i have to receive my VSC first? is it one of the requirements when looking for an employer?

yes. the first test is on Aug. 23. do check out the other threads, they contain information about scheduling, etc. welcome to allnurses.com!

yes, they still can as long as they waive their license and retake the whole thing in december.

thanks for that info too, chopsy. i was originally scheduled on August 16 but i had to cancel that appointment 'coz some of my friends haven't received their ATT yet. we're a group of 8 and we'd probably go in late August or early September. thank you and God bless!

in relation to burstpurse's post, i'd like to know when i'm gonna need an immigration lawyer too. i haven't found an employer yet but i already passed the cgfns exam, and will be taking the nclex and ielts very soon. there was an immigration lawyer who kept on calling me and was telling me that he would help me go to the US by just passing the cgfns and ielts exam. i've been reading posts here and i know the VS could be processed with those two (plus the local RN license) but do i need a immigration lawyer for VS? i know that in 3-4 mos, the certificate would be sent to me as long as i pass the requirements and the appropriate fee, of course. do i need professional help? and also, a friend was contacted by this immigration lawyer and when she refused his services, he bugged her with text messages saying that "it's a big mistake", "you're gonna regret this", etc. i smell something fishy. they have their own website too. in case anybody wants to know, i can PM you their site.

thank you so much for the info, jonlyn16! good luck and God bless on your exam. can you please pm me flywise travel's number? do they have a website?

thanks so much for that info, lawrence01! me and my friends are planning to take the NCLEX late June or early July. we have not registered in Pearson yet since this hullabaloo with the local boards had a major effect on our original plans. we chose Saipan thinking that it would be an advantage since it's already a US territory. somebody gave us a complete list of VEP requirements and the fax numbers to send it to, etc. but since you've mentioned that travel agencies can take care of that, do you know a specific travel agency that can do that for us? just to get a head start. :) and also, last time i checked, Continental had an NCLEX package valid until December 2006. i don't know if they offer the same package for 2007. http://www.allphilippinetravel.net/nurses.htm anybody who knows if they still offer this package? thanks so much lawrence01! you and your co-moderators are a big help for newbie nurses. we really appreciate it. God bless!